Hello? Is it me you're looking for?

Apologies for the Lionel Richie reference. Nonetheless, I do realize it's been over 2 months since I last checked in, and for that, I am also sorry. Sometimes real life gets in the way of Interweb life, and to be honest, I haven't felt the need to rant and rave like I used to. Perhaps I'm getting resigned to life as a misanthrope. Perhaps the time is nearing for this Cyberspace Crack House to be demolished. Still, for now, I'll carry on, mainly because I should be studying and this is a proper distraction.

Since I last checked in for real, I've had a birthday, took a trip Up North (note to self: Walloon Lake in February is COLD. It's even colder when the furnace breaks the day before you get there), sent a friend to Japan with a fond farewell (hopefully he'll come up with a blog I can link to), enjoyed a local music festival, and that's not even half of it. I'll focus on the main points of the past eight weeks, which have been surprisingly great.

To begin at the end (because that makes perfect sense), we got my (dad's) boat in the water yesterday. This annual rite of spring brings me great joy because the boat is a labor of love and it means I'll soon be sailing in both races and the omnipresent summer booze cruise. A close second was that I got out sailing yesterday on a friend's boat. The downright beautiful spring weather made for a few therapeutic hours on the water, much of which I spent driving a beautiful 40 foot boat in pretty big breeze. I can't tell y'all how good it felt. Just thinking about it is making me all giddy all over again.

I also happened to go to game two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for my Detroit Red Wings. Like game one, which I was lucky enough to attend with my roommate, the Wings absolutely dominated the game on both ends of the ice, humbling stud goalie Steve Mason and neutralizing Columbus star Rick Nash. It also bears mentioning that I enjoyed game two with a friend I recently realized I've known for ten years (just saying that makes me feel old). We hadn't spoken a whole lot in recent years for reasons that need not be mentioned, but there's no greater feeling than reuniting with an old friend. You forget how much you enjoy their company, and I'll leave this thought by simply saying that it's been a great few weeks.

Backing up a week, I also had the good fortune to attend the Tigers opening day at Comerica Park. In the first row. Next to the Tigers dugout. It was a huge win for Detroit and a beautiful day in the Motor City. I'm going to end my discussion of the Tigers here, because all my hype last year led to heartbreak. I'll just say that so far, I'm a lot happier than I was at this point last season.

At the beginning of April I went to the Final Four with my dad. I got tickets through a school lottery, and Metro Detroit came out to play. My dad has spent his entire life in the Detroit area, and has experienced World Series victories, Stanley Cup championships, and a Super Bowl. He said none of that compared to the perfect storm of sunshine and Spartan alcoholism that focused on downtown Detroit. It was a great experience that I was fortunate to share with my dad and many friends.

I also spent a lovely afternoon at Bayview with The Enabler and Daisy Duke. That's really all that can be said on that matter, because I've spoken at great length of my love for Bayview, as well as my affection for this lovely couple. I look forward to the next time we get together. I don't know what else to say about it, aside from the fact that there will be rum.

That's about it. As Joe Walsh said, "life's been good to me so far." Recently, I've been incredibly lucky to do the things that I've done. As my own mother put it, I could likely fall into a pile of shit and come out smelling like a bed of roses. I figure for karma's sake, I need to do something to give back to the Universe. But what? I have no money, and even less time than money. I suppose I'll just send good vibes and many prayers out to my friends and family so that they might have the same good fortune that I've recently fallen into.

Summer's almost here. Those three words excite me more than you can imagine. Before that, however, I have 4 exams to take and lots of work and studying to prepare for them. Talk to y'all soon.

Cheers,
The Commodore

Hello out there we're on the air

I haven't forgotten about you.

I'm just lacking the motivation to write.

Don't you forget about me.

I'll be back soon.

Anyone home?

I'm aware that I still have this thing. I've been super busy this past month, and I promise to you that I'll go on a posting bonanza soon.

Topics to consider:

MonCon, City Council, and Cobo: Dangerously incompetent.

Local Music and Metro Times Blowout: my ears are still ringing.

Detroit Tigers: hope springs eternal?

And whatever else I want to talk about, like Michigan dancin' for the first time in 11 years.

Cheers,
The Commodore.

Podge of Hodge

I think I've used this title before, but it's Monday so I don't care. Just a few notes that will involve me rambling. Again, I don't care.

Remember when I made a nice list of bars and restaurants that I want to go to or I like to frequent? Well, since posting that, Sweet Georgia Brown has gone out of bidness, as has downtown's only real gourmet grocery store. Mercury Coffee Bar has also closed, only to allegedly re-open a few days later. I suppose the lesson to be learned is twofold: pay your rent, and hope that I don't blog about you.

With a special/primary mayoral election coming up in Detroit in eight days, the Free Press decided to endorse someone with no chance of winning so as to stay in the good graces of whoever winds up winning. The Free Press then went on the offensive against someone with a good chance of winning. Someone with nothing to gain from being the mayor of Detroit. Someone who has created more jobs in metro Detroit than even the city council could kill. Someone who is a sports and business icon in Detroit, who deserves to be mayor. They went after Dave Bing.

I don't care that Dave Bing isn't a native Detroiters, or whether he's a carpet bagger. He has no political ties, meaning he has no loyalties to care about. He's already created jobs here, meaning he knows what it takes to make more jobs. I'm not saying I don't like Ken Cockrel, Jr., actually, just the opposite: I like him a lot. However, I think we need to wipe the slate clean in Detroit and start over with hopes of good government.

Beavers in the D? Who knew? Good news nonetheless, as this shows the river is getting cleaner. As this beaver has been spotted across the creek from my yacht club, perhaps I should set some traps and get me a beaver pelt.

I had a slow weekend. It was nice, aside from the fact that I didn't get any work done. I'm going to see these guys on Friday, so if you don't hear from me again this week, it's because I'm busy looking forward to the show.

Cheers,
The Commodore

Who's ready to have some fun?

If you're one of the approximately 8 people who check out my Interweb slum daily, you'll know I'm a staunch defender of the City of Detroit. I'm happy to put this post together regarding all the drinking and dining possibilities in Detroit. Much credit goes to Dining in Detroit, which I just recently discovered, thanks to Model D.

Couple my new found ignorance of the eating and drinking scene in Detroit with my desire to support local business (seriously people, there's no better time than now to start supporting your own country/state/city/neighborhood's businesses), I decided to make a centralized list of where I want to go/ have gone/ like to go regularly. Who knows, maybe this will result in an entirely new blog? But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

This is more or less a combination of a wish list and a list of my favorite metro Detroit haunts. Plain and simple, I either love going to these places, or I've never been and I want to go. I need some people to go with. So chime in as to where you want to go with me. Wow, that really sounded like an open invitation for a date or free dinner, however I'm not that pathetic and/or lonely.

Restaurants/ Coffee Shops

Baker's Keyboard Lounge- Billed as the world's oldest jazz bar, I've heard nothing but good things about this joint. Good jazz, good down home cooking. I've never been, and I want to go.

Roast at the newly restored Westin Book Cadillac Hotel- Fine dining. Should probably save for a special occasion.

Spa 1924 Grille, also at the Book. Also pretty fancy/ probably too good for me, but I want to go anyway.

Also at the Book is the Motor Bar which I haven't been to but Daisy tells me it's pretty cool. Pretty pathetic that a non-Detroiter has been there before me.

The new Detroit Fish Market in Paradise Valley. Located in an area of Detroit that was devastated by the construction of the freeways, this historically black neighborhood was home to some of the world's best blues and jazz artists. The Fish Market is a welcome addition that I look forward to eating at, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Finn & Porter at the also newly renovated Doubletree Fort Shelby Hotel. I feel like a bad Detroiter because I have yet to get to either of our new hotels, but all in good time. Also at the Fort Shelby is the Round Bar which I've heard good things about.

Angelina Italian Bistro in the Opera House/ Comerica Park area. Like many of the new spots downtown, this was set up in the historic Madison Theatre. Italian food and locally brewed beer. Sounds good to me.

Sweet Lorraine's. Been around for a while, yet I haven't been here yet. It's downtown, close to the People Mover, the Ren Cen, plenty of downtown bars. Seems like a great jumping off point for a Friday or Saturday night downtown.

Small Plates. There's a few of these in the area, and I think the first to get on the whole tapas train in Detroit.

La Dolce Vita. All I really know about this place is that I've heard from one friend who loves it, as well as another friend who claims that it's his fail safe third date spot to "seal the deal," using his own words. Regardless, I like the concept of eating and drinking outside in Detroit in the summertime. Hell, I like eating and drinking outside just about anywhere and just about whenever the weather allows it.

Mercury Coffee Bar. This literally just opened a little bit ago near the old Tiger Stadium in Corktown. It seems like an ideal place to hang out in the D if you don't want to drink, which admittedly isn't a mood I have very often. These guys really stress buying and serving local goods, which I support.

Cafe 1923. Hamtramck and coffee. Two things I like.

Sweet Georgia Brown's. Soul food done fancy. Sounds pretty good to me.

Seldom Blues. In the Ren Cen, where I just so happen to work.

Good Girls go to Paris Crepes. Really thin pancakes. French. I dunno about this one, but I'll try almost anything once. Or twice.

Traffic Jam. Over by Motor City Brewing Works. My next door neighbors growing up love this place.

The Dakota Inn Rathskeller. German food, German beer, German music. All good stuff. However, it's located in the middle of nowhere, so it might have to be your only destination when you come here. They have a fantastic Oktoberfest party.

Cadieux Cafe. East side joint, close to my house. Great Belgian food and beers, as well as feather bowling and live music. One of my favorite local haunts.

Bars/Drinking/All the Cool Kids Do It

Cliff Bell's. Jazz and booze in the Fox Theatre area. Another place I can't believe I haven't been to.

Motor City Brewing Works. All locally brewed beer, located kinda sorta by Wayne State University. The Ghettoblaster Ale is my favorite.

Lefty's Lounge. Never heard of it before I started researching for this post. By Wayne State. But they have booze.

The Old Shillelagh. I don't know if I can remember ever leaving this place, but I sure remember going there plenty of times. Downstairs is a little clubby, but pay the few bucks to go upstairs, join some strangers at one of their super-long tables, get a few pitchers in you and sing along to the band while it plays a mix of traditional Irish drinking anthems and newer songs that drunk people love to slur. You might even do a few car bombs. It's all good. One of my absolutely favorites. As you can imagine, it's the place to be in Detroit for St. Patty's Day.

Jacoby's German Biergarten. Just a couple blocks from the Shillelagh. I'm told they have good german food, but I've only drank there and enjoyed it. Live music generally, legends of Das Boot, and German beer. It was also started by a now-deceased member of a club I'm a member of, which is good for a few points in my book. I'll never turn down the chance go come here.

Tom's Oyster Bar. Yes, I know this is a restaurant, but if I'm here, I'm probably drinking and not eating, so it's in the Bars category. A true Metro Detroit staple.

Coaches Corner. Sports bar downtown. I've downed a few pints here. It's an alright place to go to if your other favorites are too crowded.

Small's. Hamtramck hot spot, also a staple of the local music scene. One of my favorite places to see a band.

The Painted Lady, also in Hamtramck. Very different from most of my favorite spots. Lots of regulars here, and I usually find myself here to see a band.

Corktown Tavern. By old Tiger Stadium. Again, if I'm here it's probably to see a band.

Lager House. See above. Absolutely legendary Detroit music venue.

The Detroiter. I come here to drink a couple times a year. Good drinks, good prices, nothing to complain about.

Metro Detroit/Closer to my Hood

Fishbones. I've known to go to the original Greektown location, but more regularly the St. Clair Shores one. Pretty good food, decent drink prices, and they have a lot of good bands on the weekends. The St. Clair Shores location also has a great patio to hang out and drink during warmer months, as well as cheap pitchers during Detroit sports games.

Shores Inn. Kind of a de facto regular place for me. It's close to my house, they have some okay specials, and the food is decent.

Hard Luck Lounge. Partially owned/run by a friend of mine, it's a very cool place I don't go to very often. Just not on my side of town, but I'll be happy to accompany somebody there.

Old Pointe Bar. Down the street from Hard Luck. A good friend manages/ tends bar here. Same deal as Hard Luck, but I find myself here somewhat regularly.

There you have it. That's a lot of eating and drinking establishments. Most of the places in the first category I have yet to visit, so they're on my to-do list. So let me know where y'all want to go.

Cheers,
The Commodore.

So much time, so little to do.

Wait. Scratch that. Reverse it.

Just a few highlights of the news today, as well as a very quick review of the weekend.

Weekend: spent in Chicago for a sailing show, trying to drum up support for the 85th Annual Bayview Mackinac Race. Got to hang out a lot with The Enabler and Daisy Duke. Drank way the hell too much with The Enabler on Friday night, and we both paid for it. Looking forward to seeing them again, hopefully sooner rather than later.

And now, the news:

Kwame's out of jail. He's going to Texas for a job interview. Not that I want him to be successful at anything in life, but good riddance. Get him the hell out of Detroit.

Still in awe of the man that is Sully. Good to see him recognized at the Super Bowl. I hear he's already quit his job in favor of millions of dollars teaching pilots how to do what he did. Good onya, Sully.

Where was this when I was in college and Denny's was a regular drunken/hungover hangout?

This made me smile on my way into work this morning. I'm hearing more and more that automakers, Ford in particular, are increasingly appreciative when people buy their cars, from the top down. Not only did Mulally make the news here, but a friend who just bought a Ford tells me he was thanked by the sales staff, receptionist, and service department at the dealership he bought from. Silver lining to our current crisis?

This also makes me very happy. A healthy Jeremy Bonderman is vital to the success of the Detroit Tigers this season. With less than 10 days until pitchers and catchers report to Lakeland for Spring Training, Bondo's progress is very exciting. Let's hope Verlander and the rest of the pitching staff is healthy, stays healthy, and plays to the best of their abilities this year.

I'm digging this news, even though Jen Jen will get heaps of credit for it. At least she's term limited.

Finally, a move in the right direction at City Hall. How about a representative government?

Seriously, do you have to NOT pay your taxes to be appointed to anything by President Obama?

Finally, a sad note. At least there will soon be some closure for the family of

Reluctant

I don't want to post this link here. It's the blackest of eyes for the city of Detroit, and if anyone actually reads this blog, I'll get comments along the lines of "just one more example why Detroit sucks," or "typical Detroit." However, I've tried to defend this city my entire life, and I still will, but I need to show both sides of the city.

The Detroit News shocked everyone today with this headline story. Charlie LeDuff is becoming my favorite reporter (he's like an intelligent Mitch Albom with a soul), and he brought us this article. Even so, I didn't like reading this article. I was terribly uncomfortable with the indifference shown by everyone mentioned in their attitude towards a dead body locked in the ice that nobody called the police about.

What makes makes me even more uncomfortable is how indifferent I felt when reading this. Not as much as the homeless men or the "urban explorers," but I really didn't flinch when I saw the headline or the photo, perhaps because I heard about it on the radio on my way to work before I saw it for myself. I've tried to distinguish myself from these guys, thinking that I'd surely call 911 immediately if I saw something like that. That I could continue on with my fun and games if I saw something like that. Still, I'm bothered.

Anyways, I put this up here because while I'm one of Detroit's biggest defenders and supporters, I know that there are serious problems. Every big city has serious problems, and we probably have more. Something has to change. Many things have to change.

Let's make sure our next mayor cares more about the city than his political career.

Let's force the City Council to adopt a system of wards and jurisdictions. Force them to have a constituency. Make them live in the neighborhoods they want to represent.

Let's start punishing those who break the law, and make sure they don't break the law again.

Finally, let's do something ourselves. Help out at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen. Give to charity. When you see that homeless man asking for money outside the gas station, buy him a cup of coffee while you're inside, and if you can, tell him where the nearest shelter is. That way you're dollar doesn't go towards drugs or booze, but helps him stay warm. I promise it'll help you stay a little warmer too.

Wow. That doesn't sound like me at all. Do I have a fever?

The Commodore